General News

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27473, 6 October 1954, Page 10

General News

Surfeit of Inspectors The Hungarian Communist Party newspaper, “Szabad Nep,” has accused the Ministry of Light Industry of having delayed the building of a foundry by sending 25 inspectors to check the work of 20 labourers. The newspaper commented: “It is high time the number of inspectors was cut down so that the foundry can eventually be completed.”—Vienna, October 6. Plans For Avenue To. facilitate the laying of sewers, tamarisk trees are being removed in Oram avenue, New Brighton. Later, when the laying of sewers is completed, the reserves department of the Christchurch City Council has plans, for greatly improving the appearance of the avenue. The Director of Parks and Reserves, Mr M. J. Barnett, said yesterday that hundreds of yards of soil would be carted in, new lawns and garden Jots would be laid out, and shr» bs planted. 40 Years On About 950 men who left New Zealand with the Main Body, Ist N.Z.E.F., in October, 1914, are expected to attend a three-day reunion to be held at Auckland on October 15, 16 and 17. The reunion is the third organised on a national basis, and will be held exactly 40 years after the men left Auckland. A full programme has been arranged by a working committee of 40. and many senior officers who played a prominent part in leading the Main Body will be present.— (P.A.) Electoral Rolls Many persons are evidently leaving application to have their names placed on the supplementary rolls for the General Election until the last few days. The rolls will close at 6 p.m. next Wednesday, October 13, and there is still a large number of persons who have not enrolled. An additional staff of 16 is working at the office of the Registrar of Electors in Christchurch getting the rolls ready. Nine months ago the office sent out about 120,000 cards to electors, and some are still coming in. A lot have not. In the eight electoral districts controlled by the office a purge deleted more than 12 per cent, of the names, and although a large number of applications is being handled, officials say that there must be many more to come in. Ordeal British brewing experts will face 85.000 pin la of beer in London this week at the beer-brewing competitions at the Olympic Indoor Stadium. The judges actually only sample the beer. They do not have to drink it.— London, October 4. Orphanage Appeal With collections from 15 districts of the Christchurch metropolitan area, Lyttelton, and Kaiapoi still to come in, the amount received so far from the combined orphanages appeal on Saturday is £2lOO. Speed Limit for Trucks The Commissioner of Transport (Mr H. B. Smith) told delegates at the conference of the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance at Gisborne yesterday that they appeared to be “looking a gift horse very closely in the mouth.” Earlier the conference had rejected by a narrow margin a motion asking for the speed limit for trucks to be raised from 30 miles an hour to 40 miles an hour. The conference passed a motion saying that it was more concerned with relief from axle-load restrictions and higher gradings of roads. “Most trucks are doing 40 miles an hour now, and this rise would merely confirm the speed you are travelling at,” said Mr Smith. He added that the question was still being considered by the National Roads Board.—(P.A.) “Calling Themselves Maoris” A columnist of the “Melbourne Herald,” E. W. Tipping, says Victoria’s gypsies are working their old rackets—and calling themselves “Maoris.” He reports a band of the vagrants is working on the Princes Highway in Gippsland with the “old line”—“our car has run out of petrol. Can you let us have some or direct us to the nearest garage.” “Then,” says Tipping, “they bless your money. But there’s one new twist—they’re calling themselves Maoris now.”—Melbourne, October 5. Cruiser For Sale If anyone in Christchurch wants to buy a heavy cruiser, the Australian Government Trade Commissioner at Wellington would be glad to hear of him. The 26-year-old H.M.A.S. Australia is for sale and removal from her anchorage at Garden Island in Sydney Harbour. A former flagship of „he Royal Australian Navy, the cruiser visited telton a year ago, and not long after her return to Australia it was announced that she was no longer wanted by the navy. Negotiations with a European firm of shipbreakers must have fallen through, because an advertisement in yesterday’s issue of “The Press” invited tenders for her purchase. S.M.A.S. Australia’s history since she was completed on the Clyde by John Brown in April, 1928, was a proud one, and her 12 feet high deckhead running the length of the ship was the envy of seamen afloat in more modern vessels. But she was not economical, she was inemcient, and her armour was inadequate for the warfare of today. Her buyer will be more interested in the 10,000-odd tons of scrap metal she will provide when broken up. Atomic Tests of Spinach

Atomic tests had indicated that spinach might not be good for growing children, and that it apparently “removes calcium from the body,” Mr Lewis Strauss, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, said in Washington yesterday. He said that the studies were inconclusive. Mr Strauss mentioned the tests during an address on radioactive isotopes to the District of Columbia League of Republican Women. When questioned later by reporters. Mr Strauss said he did not know the details of the spinach experiments.—Washington, October 5. Drought Conditions After almost a month without rain, the weather in Christchurch officially constitute-: an absolute drought. Records at the Meteorological Service at Harewood show that since September 8 only 0.04 in of rain has fallen. On September 6 and 7 there was a fall of 1.17 in, which brought the total rainfall for September to Ulin. The last 26 days have been the driest since records were first taken at Harewood in 1936. Health Stamp Sales Sales of health stamps throughout New r Zealand on Monday totalled £76,438, compared with £80,523 on the first day last year. Eight centres showed an increase over last year. Wellington had the highest sales with £11,948, Christchurch came next with £10,679, and Auckland third with £Bl6O. Wellington’s sales were down by £539, Christchurch showed an (increase of £856, and Auckland was down by £1548. —(P.A.) Fruit Cargoes Due The Waimea is due at Lyttelton this morning from Dunedin to discharge cargo from Melbourne, including 3000 cases of oranges. The Karamu, due at the ichorage at Lyttelton tonight from Suva, will berth tomorrow morning to discharge 17,000 cases of bananas. The vessel is to sail on Friday for Suva to load for Auckland. Rare Fish Taken A rarely-seen angler fish, found in the stomach of a big groper taken by Mr R. Pensico from his launch Ika in Cook Strait, has been presented to the Dominion Museum, Wellington. “The angler fish was probably swept up from the depths between 900 and 1500 fathoms in a current which is believed to run into Cook Strait,” said the fish expert at the museum (Mr J. M. Moreland) yesterday. At the tip of the slender rod on the fish’s head was a luminous bulb which attracted the prey of the angler within reach of its upturned gaping mouth, said Mr Moreland. The fish, which was inky black, probably had muscular control of the rod to attract other animals within teach of its teeth. He said the angler fish was the first the museum had had for many years, and it was rare even to find one so well preserved after the journey from such a depth.—(P.A.)